How Apple Allows International Users to Remove Safari App but Denies Same Privilege Within the United States

Apple has been slowly opening up its hardware and software in response to new legislation in the European Union. The iPhone 15’s switch to USB Type-C was partially due to new EU laws about phone chargers, and more recently, the company created support for installing third-party app stores for phones in the EU. However, most of the changes are still blocked from working outside of the EU, and now more region-locked features are on the way.

In response to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), Apple is making a series of adjustments to iPhones sold in the European Union . Starting later this year, EU iPhone users can completely remove Safari, Apple’s default browser, and choose another browser. To ease this transition, Apple is developing a tool to transfer browsing data between browsers. Third-party browsers have famously been quite limited on iOS, as they are still forced to use Safari’s engine. EU regulations are making Apple change course on that too and start supporting third-party engines, so hopefully, the fact that you can actually fully replace Safari with the browser of choice will be huge for the few users that can actually take advantage of it.

Additionally, by fall 2025, Apple plans to introduce a solution that simplifies transferring data from iPhones to devices running different operating systems. This will make switching to Android phones a smoother process, and companies like Samsung and Google will certainly take advantage of this to improve its already-existing transfer tools. The focus on interoperability extends beyond browsers. Third-party payment apps will also be able to leverage the iPhone’s NFC chip for contactless payments, offering users more options beyond Apple Pay. Developers can also submit requests for additional functionalities that enhance compatibility between iPhones and other devices. These requests will be evaluated to ensure they align with the DMA’s goals and that effective solutions can be developed.

While these changes are all great, Apple is also making sure that they comply with EU users and EU users only. For US folks to see most of these changes, we might actually need similar legislation coming from the US government, which could happen soon .

Source: MacRumors

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